Yeah, I got ink done. . .

Well. . . not so much ink per se as patterned adhesive polymer. But yeah. These my dawgs, yo. We tight.

I spent my last Friday in Canada with my Japanese language partner Chinami. It was her last day in Canada as well and so, with the help of her host family, we made a day out of it.

First, since Chinami had recently seen The Dark Knight, we went to the theatre to see The Dark Knight Rises. The good news was that the show we went to was far less crowded than normal-- even a full week after release, Nolan Bat-film showings have usually been packed. The bad news. . . well, without going into a full review, I'll say that Christopher Nolan's habit of writing every other line of dialogue like a bloody graduate-level thesis statement was even more irritating than usual, since it made it that much harder for Chinami to understand what was going on (and I won't even go into Bane 'n' Bale's voices). Still, she liked it, though she said she'll have to watch it again in Japan.

Next, after a trip to the dollar store to buy Chinami a passport holder, we went over to Chinami's host family's house for movies and nachos. Now, my mom likes her some nachos, so I thought I was prepared for what I was getting into.

I was not.

For one, I was not expecting diced chicken in my nachos. I didn't even know that was allowed; I thought it would give protein poisoning or something. And homemade guacamole!? That is quite simply an upending of the natural order, my friends. Avocados are not native to central British Columbia; our frosty, windy climate would kill an Avocado tree before it ever had the chance to bear fruit. And yet we live in a world where Prince Georgians can not only access the Avocado fruit, but can do so in sufficient quantities and with sufficient quality to produce guacamole on a weekly basis.  

The nachos were good is what I'm saying.

Also, the family's oldest child, Maddy, gave me this, my new official Facebook profile image:

Actually, this is a police sketch. I've still got a warrant out in the Tri-State Area over some bogus illegal thumb-wrestling betting charges. 

There are still lots of things to do in Canada, including among many other things finishing off the last part of my St. John's series. Expect mineshafts and icebergs in the days to come.

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's -- no it was just a plane.

It was madness. Dozens, if not twos of dozens of cars were lined along the edge of old Highway 97. Eager, likely easily impressed hordes of locals (including yours truly, just so it's clear that I'm nothing special either) cameras in hand, hearts a-flutter from anticipation and probably also heat stroke, stood at the ready along the airport fence, awaiting the momentous arrival of a . . . big airplane:

 

This constitutes an event in Prince George. This town, as a collective unit, needs to get out more.

I can't wait until I'm in Shirakawa. That's where shit be happening', I just know it!

I'm not a PC, I just play one on TV...

I've finally begun to switch over from my old Dell Brick™ to a new MacBook Pro. I'm even writing this post on my new computer.

. . .so, whaddaya think? Does the blog feel more, like, user-friendly now? It damn well better.

Doin' the New-fun-go-go: Part #3

Day #3

The previous installment of "Doin' the New-fun-go-go" was posted on July 1st. For most Canadians, July 1st is simply Canada Day, the holiday commemorating the signing of the British North America act and hence the birth of Canada as a more-or-less independent country. For Newfoundlanders, it's a bit more complicated. On July 1st, 1916-- nearly thirty-three years before Newfoundland joined Canada-- the Royal Newfoundland Regiment was all but wiped out during the initial thrust of the Battle of the Somme. In memory of this loss, July 1st was declared an official holiday in Newfoundland, called Memorial Day. Following Newfoundland's entry into Canada, Canada Day and Memorial Day were celebrated concurrently, with Memorial Day functions observed in the morning and Canada Day celebrated in the afternoon and evening.

Today, the U.S. celebrates Independence Day, which as it turns out could also have been a very interesting day for Newfoundland. In 1934, Newfoundland, which up until then had been an essentially independent Dominion like Canada, temporarily reverted to being a colony of Great Britain following a severe debt crisis. After the debt crisis was resolved in the 1940's, Newfoundland's future status was in doubt. Some in Newfoundland called for a return to Dominion status; others, including future Newfoundland premier Joey Smallwood, called for confederation with Canada. Then there was the unofficial third option: joining the U.S. as the 49th state. This was a actually a pretty popular idea among Newfoundlanders, with 80% of the population wanting to join the union in a 1947 survey. It was not to be, though; Canada really, really wanted Newfoundland, and the U.S. really, really didn't.

Doin' the New-fun-go-go: Part #2

Day #2: Oh Hai Benny!
It's weird; I'd known for years that there was this weird little movie called "The Room," yet I never got around to actually seeing it until I came to St. John's. And yes, it really was because I went to a museum called "The Rooms." Ha ha ha, what a tool am I.

Anyway, I got up a little earlier on Day #2, but not much earlier. Fortunately, there's a restaurant in downtown St. John's called Nautical Nellies that offers delicious brunches, including smoked salmon Eggs Benedict ("Oh Hai Cheap Title Pun!"). All served with a side of Newfoundland charac-- and there goes the blood vessel in my brain as I realize I was about to write that.